It is known in the prior art to provide an apparatus, such as a lawn mower, which is air-supported and thus does not require ground wheels and axles and other parts normally used for supporting the apparatus on the ground. Generally, such devices include a substantially-enclosed housing and means for pressurizing air within the housing to float the housing over a support surface. Examples of such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,170,276, 3,293,836 and 4,245,455.
While air-floated devices of the prior art have significant advantages over conventional wheeled products, such devices have certain inherent problems which have yet to be overcome. In particular, such devices typically include an outer housing having a narrow peripheral edge, bezel or seal. Consistent flotation of devices of this type is difficult due to the tendency for the volume of air to escape due to the typical ground effect adjacent such narrow edge structures. Other problems include the inability to maintain lateral or side-to-side stability of the device.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an improved air-floated apparatus that overcomes these and other problems associated with the prior art.